Between the ability to get into and sustain poses, increased cardiovascular capacity and endurance, and the strength required to hold your own body weight (and the weight of others), sexual activity can be greatly improved by fitness. The stronger and more flexible you are, the more variety you can throw into your routine. The more endurance and energy you have, the longer you can go and the more you can focus on pleasure instead of fatigue.

It was once boiled down to me by a sexually experienced and physically fit man this way: “if a guy asks me for sex advice, the first task is to draw him a picture of the vulva and clit anatomy and explain how it works. Step two: cardio.”

There’s nothing wrong with slow, gentle lovemaking. There’s no shame in being a pillow princess who simply lays there and gets pleasured… every once in awhile. But sometimes you gotta return the favor, working up a sweat and sustaining a hip thrust or deep squat for longer than seems reasonable. And sometimes you both have to put your back into it. And I can vouch, as a professional fitness instructor, most sexual positions ARE workouts.

And vice versa. A significant portion of Pilates exercises are related to strengthening pelvic floor and they focus on mastering control over the PC aka Kegel muscles. All those butt lifts and bridges can be utilized in your personal life to great effect. And while it differs greatly from person to person (some kisses are more aggressive than others), every minute spent making out is a minute spent burning calories.

C’mon, I’m sure you can come up with some kind of utility for this pose:

Feeling Good is Awesome

This is a cycle of reinforcement: The better you feel, the more you want to have sex. Having sex can make you feel really good. And I don’t just mean the sensation of physical pleasure. You can also feel good ABOUT yourself. Yes, exercise can make you look better by many standards, but, more importantly, it’s likely to make you feel better about your body. You’re more likely to feel pride in your body because you know the things it can do and you’re more likely to feel comfortable bearing it in front of a partner. And if you feel more comfortable, you’re more able to relax and enjoy sexual pleasure and even feel free to perform more enthusiastically.

Outdoor exercise can be especially good for you and is more effective for mood-lifting than exercise indoors. But there are many obstacles to working it out outdoors, especially for women: including safety fears, concerns about body image and other anxieties.

There are a number of fetishes that exercise and gyms can allow someone to indulge. Plenty of people are turned on by displays of strength. There are interests in getting sweaty and mussed up, maybe you get turned on by the scents of others (or at least like the pheremones), and there’s definitely something to be said for the masochistic and sadistic relationship between client and trainer.

For every person, there is some workout that will click. Maybe you hate running, but you love dancing. Maybe you have choreophilia and REALLY love dancing. Maybe you despise free weights, but would adore yoga. Perhaps you need a group, class or trainer to keep you motivated, or maybe you prefer to zone out and just listen to your headphones. Whatever it is that will work for you, it’s out there. Just don’t stop looking. The paybacks, many of which we’ve already examined, are totally worth the effort.